363. Lena Ep – Another Lena

Defeat is bitter.

No matter the process or the opponent, the taste of defeat was so bitter it made my mouth sour, forcing the loser to hide in a cave and take some time to gather themselves.

I was like that. I hid at Uncle Elson’s mansion until I heard who won.

In the end, that guy Reb clinched the victory, and just like the saying goes, “the victor’s shadow is the loser’s cozy refuge,” my heart sank with such thoughts.

It turns out just that jerk was exceptionally skilled.

It wasn’t that I was the one at fault.

Of course, I didn’t lose to him directly, but to this guy named Arpen, and Arpen lost to that scoundrel, making it hard to collect my thoughts.

Anyway!

Winning and losing is just part of the game… or something like that.

There’s some great saying I’ve heard somewhere that says to not worry about winning or losing and to do your best.

Yeah.

I’ll give it my all until the very end.

Although it feels like becoming a knight alongside Ray and getting married this year has all gone down the drain, I decided to wrap things up.

I’m going to enter the loser’s resurrection round.

When I mentioned I’d enter the loser’s resurrection round, Ray seemed to expect it and said as much.

Though we couldn’t meet in the finals of the main round, let’s definitely meet in the finals of the loser’s resurrection round. I responded with a grin.

“How can a guy who got eliminated in the round of 16 challenge someone who made it to the quarterfinals? Hehe. Ray, you’ll definitely not go easy on me.”

He genuinely didn’t seem like he’d go easy on me.

Unlike the main event, the resurrection round only offered knights’ candidates or prizes to the one who won.

So even if Ray and I both made it to the finals, only one of us could become a knight, and I didn’t want that.

I’m going to win and take the prize money straight up. For the day when Ray and I can finally both become knights.

With this rather petty hope fueling me, the next day, I went to face the resurrection round.

As it should have been, I made it to the finals without a single loss and faced Ray. And Ray… was strong. Just as I had expected.

The noise from the audience faded into silence. In my eyes, only Ray was visible. Ray, with his sword dropped and a smile blossoming at me.

“Haah… Hah…”

I took a moment to catch my breath and recompose myself. ‘I can’t win by just fighting ordinarily.’ — I thought as I wiped my eyes.

After brushing away the sweat trickling down my forehead and looking back at Ray, he had taken a step closer. The sunlight behind him cast a shadow.

A huge, dark silhouette. I knew it was Ray, but it felt intimidating. I spit into my palm.

Please let this work.

– Wowww–!!

As I raised my sword, the noise from the audience began to swell. The cheers were much louder than before.

Of course. Who would hold their sword like this?

I lifted my sword, clutching the middle with my left hand and the hilt with my right, like I was gripping a spear.

I aimed with the tip of the sword adjusted by my left hand, but I couldn’t see Ray’s expression because of the backlight.

However, considering he cautiously extended his sword, he wasn’t underestimating me.

I felt a flicker of pride as if I was slightly recognized and advanced toward him. Closing the distance, I aligned my sword with Ray’s. Then—

– Clang…

I felt it. This is usable.

“Now!!”

I pressed down on Ray’s sword with force.

And it did indeed yield. That was only natural, as I was gripping my sword much shorter.

With that, I pushed Ray’s sword aside and focused on the flood of sensations asking, ‘What should I do next?’

Holding the sword differently made swordsmanship look completely different. Outrageous mouvements flashed in my mind, making it hard to pick one.

First, I cautiously raised my left foot and executed a high kick. Ray skillfully leaned back to dodge, perfectly reasonable.

‘I knew it!’

Though Ray and I were betrothed, we were also step-siblings sharing the same teacher.

Ray’s solid swordsmanship, honed without a gap from Uncle Noel, guaranteed he would retreat if I went like this.

Using my soaring left foot for momentum, I quickly conjured my next move.

Pivoting around my anchored right foot, I performed a spinning kick.

My body leaned greatly in the opposite direction of my left foot. I felt my hair sweeping across the arena ground.

Meanwhile, my hands moved busily.

I switched the positions of my left and right hands. My right hand grasped the blade.

Completing the upward thrust pose, I thrust as my left foot barely landed.

With my waist straightened and centrifugal force added, my attack surged forth.

Then,

– Wow!!

The roar of thousands of spectators sounded as if it came from one single person. It was such a fleeting moment, a decisive strike.

But it didn’t reach Ray. Instead, urgh! I was the one who got thrown.

My right rib felt as if it would break. No, did it break?

I stepped back, one hand clutching my side where I was hit, and the other dragging my ridiculously heavy sword. It was only when I reached a safe distance that I realized what had hit me.

The hilt of Ray’s sword, struck with that blunt end.

He didn’t retrieve his sword that I had pushed aside.

Instead, the moment I attempted a spinning move, he stepped forward, dodging my thrust and executing a very short thrust with the hilt.

Wow.

This guy is a real monster.

Normally, my eyes would be so occupied with the kick that I wouldn’t even notice if I was spinning or not.

Leaving admiration behind, I assessed if I could still fight.

Having been struck in the side stiffened my body. My forward movements would probably slow down. I had little stamina left. On the other hand, Ray, that monstrous guy, appeared to be breathing without a hitch.

Noticing the looming defeat, the spectators began shouting Ray’s name. As I clenched my teeth and set my sword, Ray spoke up.

“Lera, you still have a long way to go for your peculiar swordsmanship to be complete.”

“…What do you think?”

As he stepped closer, the backlight came again. But I couldn’t tell what his expression was.

“Very excellent.”

Whack—

With the cheers towards Ray and my fading vision as my last memory, my first Maunin-Letii tournament came to an end.

*

“Ugh… my head. Ray, you jerk…”

As soon as I opened my eyes, a pounding headache surged. I rubbed my head and sat up.

Sat up?

As I touched the ground, I felt a soft blanket, and looking around, I found myself in a hospital ward. A few warriors I had become familiar with during the matches lay around me.

“You’re awake.”

One of the warriors approached me. He looked to be in his early thirties, a friendly warrior named Kali Toluca.

I drank the water he offered and exchanged a few bits of small talk.

Mainly, we commiserated over our unfortunate circumstances.

Not feeling much like chatting long, I sent him on his way. Kali Toluca told me to think about it and returned. I had no particular thoughts.

‘I lost.’

─ Other than that thought.

Hearing cheers still ringing in the air, it didn’t seem like I had been unconscious for too long. I tried to shift my thoughts, but I couldn’t shake the idea that Ray might be a knight by now.

Perhaps those cheers celebrated the knighting of the winners.

The taste in my mouth was bitter. My dream was to become a knight alongside Ray.

I wanted to hold both the knighting ceremony and wedding together, adorned not in a fluffy dress but in solid armor. I wanted to be a wife equal to her husband, not just a pretty bride.

But that’s all gone now.

Ray was, once again, a step ahead of me, and I couldn’t catch up.

Equal? Not even close. Ray would be knighted far ahead of me and would soon forget me, captivated by the splendor of the capital and the charming ladies of civilization. I’d be left living a meager life, keeping house, and watching for when Ray would marry me… no way, that wouldn’t happen.

‘Eh. I could have at least shed a tear.’

I wanted to play the tragic heroine lying in the hospital ward. But realistically, there wouldn’t be much room for that in my life.

It felt a little, no, very regrettable, but I’d have to hold a separate wedding.

I should find out when the Knights’ admission test is held… that’s all it is; the problem about failing in the tournament.

I smacked my lips, sitting on the bed. I should go congratulate Ray, but for some reason, I didn’t feel like it. That ungrateful jerk. And soon after, I could see that ungrateful guy entering.

I didn’t even know why I felt this way. I turned away. I felt Ray sit beside me, but I pretended not to notice and stared at the empty vase on the nightstand.

“Lera. I’m here.”

But the vase was empty. Why am I acting like this? Angry at him, I shot up.

“Geez! What’s this nonsense? Hey, Ray! Congratulations. So you really became a knight first. Care to share your feelings, then let’s go drink or something…”

…Whoa.

I froze in place as I turned. Hahaha! In Ray’s hand, my fiancé’s hand…

There dangled a heavy pouch that looked ripe for the taking. Ray handed me the pouch and said,

“I’ve brought the prize money. What? Did you think I’d be Knighted?”

“You wanted to be a knight! But then why…?”

“Because I wanted to become one together with you. About the wedding… well, that might be a bit early to say, and I don’t know if you’d like it, but I wanted to hold it alongside the knighting ceremony. Of course, if you’re okay with that.”

I couldn’t tell what expression I was making at that moment. Having struggled so much before, tears that wouldn’t even fall now seemed to overflow.

I hugged Ray tightly. I held on and cried.

“Yeah, you fool. It’s too early for such talk. Marriage. Sniff. And, huh, what’s up with bringing the prize money? That’s unnecessary.”

Ray gently patted my back while whispering softly,

“It’s just… we can’t go back as we were. So, I was thinking, how about we use this money to go on a trip? Oberg. What do you say about the Belita Kingdom’s Oberg? I hear their Knighthood is amazing. We can come back to compete next year.”

“…Do what you want. I… don’t mind.”

Hehehe, hehe.

I was so happy my body twisted in knots, but I tried to act otherwise.

Hugging my beloved man, Ray, I covered my face with my arms and laughed. I cried. I laughed.

I thought there wouldn’t be anyone happier than me across the entire continent.

And at that moment, in a massive church on the western side of the continent, ‘Another Lena’ was relishing her happiness.

The sacred sound of church bells.

The harmonious sound of mixed prayers.

This place, so different from the muddy arena up north, was the Monastery Church behind the capital of the Jerome Holy Kingdom, the city of Lutetia.